Pile driver hammer lead



May H, 1956 w. R. FAIRCHILD FILE DRIVER HAMMER LEAD Filed July 26, 1952 FIGZ FIG.1

INVENTOR WILLIAM R. FAIRGH ILD ATTORNEY United rates Patent PILE DRIVER HAlt/IMER LEAD William R. Fairehild, Hattiesburg, Miss.

Application July 26, 1952, Serial No. 301,077

2 Claims. (Cl. 61-44) This invention relates to improved hammer leads on pile drivers. More specifically it relates to rigid and smooth operating hammer leads for use on pile drivers which will give more efiicient operation of the machine in driving pile.

In my earlier issued United States Patent No. 2,423,30l hammer leads on pile drivers are disclosed and claimed. Although the leads disclosed in my earlier patent are satisfactory, the improvements obtained through use of the herein described and claimed leads are important. Rigidity of hammer leads when driving pile is one of the outstanding necessities and such benefits are obtained through the invention described herein.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide hammer leads for pile drivers which are substantially rigid when fixed in position, thus assuring smooth and eflicient operation of the driver.

An additional object is to provide hammer leads for pile drivers which will not tend to twist from the aligned position when the driver is in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide hammer leads for pile drivers utilizing channel members in combination with angle bars to obtain the advantages described herein.

Other and more specific objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawrugs.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a fragmentary view, partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation of the front end of a pile driver, and

Figure 2 is a section view on line 22 of Figure 1.

Referring in more specific detail to the drawings wherein like numerals identify similar parts throughout the drawings and specification, indicates a fragmentary portion of an A frame of a pile driver mounted near the forward end of a skid 12. Since the A frame 10 and skid 12 are not novel parts of the present invention, no further description thereof will be given here, but for detailed description thereof reference is made to my two previously issued Patents No. 2,423,301 and No. 2,477,867. The A frame is normally held in an upright operating position by braces 14.

The A frame 14 forms a part of a pile driving apparatus including a pendulum frame 16 mounted on A frame 14 at 18. Pendulum frame 16 is made up of spaced apart steel members 20 and 22 which support spaced apart bent pipe or rods usually in the form of U-shaped members 24 and 26. At the ends of the U-shaped members are mounted hammer leads 28 and 30 for a gravity or drop hammer 32 shown in dotted lines between hammer leads 28 and 30 in Figure 2. The hammer 32 is adapted to be raised and lowered by conventional means including a hoisting cable (not shown) suspended over pulley 34, the cable being extended downwardly and rearwardly from the top of the pendulum frame to a hoisting drum (not shown). The hammer 32 is raised and lowered between hammer guides 28 and 30 which must necessarily be rigid and free of twisting action.

The hammer leads 2% and 30 are identical in structure t U-shaped members 26 at 39 and tend to make the struc ture rigid. The outer flat or web face and side flanges of channel members 36 form the guides for hammer 32 as it is raised and lowered in the pile driving operations.

Channel members 36 are provided with spaced openings 42 in the faces thereof which are necessary in assembling the hammer guides. Through these openings channel members 36 are welded to the side edge of bar members 40.

In assembling a hammer lead, a side edge of flat bar 40 is welded in substantially the vertex of the angle of angle bar 38. Channel member 36 is then placed in position so that the edges of the side flanges thereof contact the flange edges of the angle bar 38, and the contact points are welded throughout the length of members 36 and 38. Thereafter, the other side edge of member 40 is welded at spaced intervals to the inner face of channel member 36 through spaced openings 42.

Hammer leads thus constructed are rigid and substantially free of twisting action when used in pile driving apparatus. The process of assembly for such hammer leads described herein may be modified and the arrangement parts constituting the hammer guides may be changed. Such modifications are, however, considered as falling within the scope of the present invention, and the invention described herein shall only be limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a pile driver, hammer leads comprising angle bar supportingposts rigidly secured in spaced parallel relationship, hammer guides adjacent and attached to the supporting posts embodying channel members each having a web and side wall flanges, the channel members being positioned with the outer faces of the webs in spaced and opposed parallel relationship and the edges of the side wall flanges of each channel being secured to the flange edges of its adjacent angle bar supporting post, and a rigid reinforcing member secured to and extending from the inner face of the web of each channel member to the vertex of the angle of its adjacent angle bar supporting post and secured thereto.

2. In a pile driver, hammer leads as defined in claim 1, and wherein the rigid reinforcing member extends from substantially the midpoint of the inner face of the web of each channel member to the vertex of the angle of its adjacent angle bar supporting post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 304,798 Butz Sept. 9, 1884 765,016 Knox July 12, 1904 2,423,301 Fairchild July 1, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,653 Great Britain 1853 

